The New 52 Interviews: Swamp Thing

Share.

Scott Snyder talks the return of Alec Holland.

By Joey Esposito

To celebrate the relaunch of the DC Universe with 52 brand new #1 issues, IGN is doing an interview series with the creative teams behind this historic comics event. For the month of September, IGN Comics is your place to go behind the inner workings of these new books and find out what to expect from the new DCU.

We talked with red hot writer Scott Snyder about his plans for the return of Swamp Thing to the pages of the DC Universe.

IGN Comics: You've taken a very prominent interest in Alec Holland as a character, rather than as the consciousness of Swamp Thing. What is it about him that intrigues you?

Scott Snyder: Well first of all let me to say thanks to you guys at IGN for being so supportive from the start! Always great to talk.

As for your question... When I got approached about the possibility of doing the series because DC knew I was a huge fan, I tried to go back and figure out what was at the core of my love for Swamp Thing. And what I realized was that for me, Alec has always been the heart of the series, whether he was under all that vegetation or not. Meaning, whether the story was focused on his love for Abby, his struggle with his powers, or his longing for his own lost humanity, his realization that he was never human - Swamp Thing was always, at its best, about a man - Alec Holland - facing his demons. Alec as a character, facing monsters both external and internal. And over the years -- since Alan Moore's run -- there have been so many great stories about Alec wrestling with his power and responsibly as this monster, this force of nature... but what I realized was that even so, there have been almost no stories about Alec as a human.

It's wild. I mean he only appears on a few pages of comics as an actual man, ever. And so I started asking all these questions to myself like, who was Alec before he became Swamp Thing? Why him? Was there a secret history, a secret reason? Something tucked away in the mythology that hadn't been explored yet? And I knew I had it -- I had my territory for Swamp Thing. And I couldn't be more excited about the story we're about to tell. I'm really over the moon about it! Don't get me wrong, this is our vision for Swamp Thing. But, it also builds on everything that came before. All the history all the mythology is there. It's taking everything that existed prior in a new direction.

IGN: Now that Alec is human again, where does the role of the Green and Swamp Thing come into play? Why is it so interested in him?

Snyder: That's part of the fun of the story! I don't want to give too much away. But I will say this – the Green wants something from Alec. It has big plans for him. At the same time, all Alec wants is to escape the legacy of Swamp Thing . All he wants is to move on with his life and get as far away from the Green as possible. That's where all the big conflict and mystery and the big shocking secrets come in...

IGN: With Alec's history as Swamp Thing, will the supporting characters like Abigail be incorporated into Alec's new life?

Snyder: Absolutely. Abby is a character who's going to play an extremely large role. But years have passed. She's been through some bad stuff. She's not the same innocent woman that needs saving all the time. She's strong and tough and she's got secrets, and I can't wait for readers to meet her. The Arcanes, the Parliament of Trees… We're excited to use a lot of the characters from the original series and also introduce our own new characters, too.

IGN: Swamp Thing is one of the most revered properties in comics, and Swamp Thing #1 marks his first ongoing series within the DCU in many years. What's it like ushering in this new era for such an icon?

Snyder: It's intimidating, man. I'm not going to lie, it's been a lot of sleepless nights (my wife will concur). But, Swamp Thing is one of my favorite characters and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Especially because I really have a story for the character I'm very proud of and very excited to tell.

IGN: We know that there is a history of Swamp Things throughout time. Are there plans to explore those that came before Alec?

Snyder: Definitely. Exploring the history of Swamp Thing and the characters that have been chosen to be Swamp Thing in the past is a huge part of our project. You're going to see a lot of Swamp Things from the past dating all the way back decades and decades. And you're going to meet the new enemy of swamp thing as well, one that's been there as long as Swamp Thing has, something ancient and scary and hidden in the mythology, too.

IGN: Swamp Thing's mantra has long been "sophisticated suspense." How are you holding true to that?

Snyder: I love that term! I heard Karen [Berger] was responsible for that actually. To be honest I haven't thought too much about it, but at its core, for me, this series has always been a horror book, a series about a man struggling with monsters both internal and external, like I said. The external ones bringing most of the suspense, the internal ones bringing most of the sophistication. And in that way, I guess we are actually trying very hard to stay true to that slogan.

IGN: What's the collaborative process like between you and Yanick Paquette?

Snyder: Very collaborative. We Skype and we talk often. We both have the same idea for the series, which is to go bold or don't do it. It's Swamp Thing. You have to bring a personal vision to it, a love of the character and his history, and approach it with an adventurous attitude, or why try? And I just can't say enough good things about Yanick's art on this run. It's incredibly inspiring working with him. I see his pages and it makes me want to go bolder and more daring. I can't wait for people to see his work here. The way he separates panels with vegetation and bones... From the design elements for the great characterization, it's all just terrific.

IGN: Swamp Thing has a rich mythology that has been built on for years by many of the industry's best. You've talked about how none of it is going away, but can you speak to what eras of Swamp Thing have influenced your run the most?

Snyder: There've been so many great stories! I really love the Alan Moore obviously and I love the Wein tremendously for its classic monster creepy feel. I particularly like Andy Diggle's mini-series a few years ago as well. And the hoodoo macabre quality of Josh Dysart's recent run was tons of fun. At the end of the day as long as someone has a very bold vision for the character, I'm in. For me that's what the series is all about. Getting to take this character and do something different and deeply personal and entirely your own, but something true to his core, that man vs. monster struggle. I'll say it again, I could not be prouder to be working on the series and more honored. We really hope that everyone out there will check us out and tell us what you think! To the swamp!